A little Armageddon
by naboru narluin
Summary: Breakdown is in trouble, but backup is on its way… / Breakdown, Motormaster, Blast Off / gen, a little action, implied death of humans and injured mechs


**Title: ****A little Armageddon**  
><strong>Warnings:<strong> gen, a little action, implied death of humans and injured mechs  
><strong>Continuity:<strong> G1 [part of the Dysfunction AU]  
><strong>Characters:<strong> Breakdown, Motormaster, Blast Off  
><strong>Rating:<strong> PG-13  
><strong>Disclaimer:<strong> Sadly, nothing is mine.  
><strong>Prompt:<strong> #1 - Scenario: a narrow escape  
><strong>Summary:<strong> Breakdown is in trouble, but backup is on its way…  
><strong>Beta:<strong> Ultharkitty

* * *

><p>I need backup!/ Breakdown sent a distress call to the base. He deliberately avoided looking into his rear view mirrors, because he knew what was there: Autobots.

Autobots chasing him down an almost empty highway, and above him, there was the regular _thud thud_ noise of the news helicopter, watching and_filming_ him.

It was awful. Disturbing. And he was low on fuel.

Breakdown's fuel pump worked fast, and had begun leaking a while ago. It wasn't too bad, fortunately, but it caused his energy level to drop faster than the high speed he drove at could explain.

The highway on his side was free. No human cars were there, and on the other side drove only a few, or they stood - watching him as well.

If Breakdown wasn't going at rubber burning speed, he would have twitched.

And it could be worse, he told himself. There could be Aerialbots, or the Protectobot helicopter, but there were only Autobots on the ground, keeping a distance to avoid getting hit by his destructive engine vibrations. He was outnumbered. There was no chance in pit he would be able to fight about ten Autobots, and secure the container with the rare element he'd stolen from that science facility.

The container was on front passenger seat, shaking with the vibrations of his revved engine. He just hoped he could bring it home safely. He didn't want to be blamed for a failure.

Then Motormaster's voice crackled over the commlink. /Help is on the way.../

He didn't sound right. Something was off in his voice, Breakdown thought. He knew Motormaster, and his moods, but this wasn't anger. He sounded displeased - and worried, which worried Breakdown as well.

Breakdown had no time to respond; another voice spoke first, bored and eloquent with a sophisticated tone. It wasn't Dead End. /You may want to activate your force field if you haven't already./

/Huh?/ Breakdown uttered, feeling immediately stupid, but onlined the force field on its highest setting.

And it was good he did.

Above him flashed a purple light. In his rear view mirror, he saw the clouds vaporise as a violet laser cut through them and hit the ground.

The road shook like in an earthquake. The shockwave of burned air penetrated Breakdown's armour, straining his circuits with a hot glow of pain. It swept him off his tyres, and catapulted him into the air. The agonised scream leaving his vocaliser was drowned out by the sound of massive discharge from powerful lasers leaving devastation in their wake.

Breakdown lost his sense of balance, equilibrium chip almost offline; he couldn't tell up from down. His force field wavered under the stress, and he knew he'd damage the container when he didn't land on his wheels. And he was sure he wouldn't.

Transforming mid-air around the metal object, he pressed it to his frame, then landed hard on his side. Sliding over the hot asphalt, he smelled burnt rubber that wasn't due to his velocity. His tyres were warm, bits of the destroyed road stuck on them, or in them, and caused his pressure sensors to go haywire.

Breakdown's intakes vented dry air deeply. Different scents mixed with one that made his tanks lurch, and his body shudder. He lay on the road for what felt like ages, but it was merely a klik or two, before the pain in his limbs and circuits subsided enough to let him stand up.

He staggered. Equilibrium struggling to keep the balance, he vented deeply again as his optics widened.

In front of him, much too close, the road was gone. A huge crater cut through the highway. It created a burning barricade between him and the Autobots, who struggled on the other side as much as he did. A few human cars close by were black, on fire, filling the air with the smell of burnt paint and flesh.

Breakdown stepped closer to the crater which seemed like a valley.

Next to the road, the tiny dry organic bushes which tried to survive in the desert heat were on fire. The sand molten or glimmered where it had already cooled off a little and became glass. The humans which were still alive ran, and screamed and hurried away from the crater, or to the Autobots, who tried their best to keep the situation under control.

It seemed like doomsday.

The warmth still radiating off just everything around, the screams, the smell and flames, it was something Wildrider would have loved to have seen. He probably would only be disappointed that he hadn't caused the destruction.

Carefully, Breakdown stepped even closer. He dared, because in the chaos the Autobots appeared to have forgotten all about him, and the news copter lay crashed on the ground, on fire as well. After a few steps, he stopped. The asphalt felt weird under his feet, soft and warm, and it occurred to Breakdown that it was molten as well.

He clenched his jaw, and only then, he realised that his whole body was trembling. The container with the rare element still pressed close to him.

How was he supposed to go home? His tyres were done for, and... he was pretty sure he was in shock.

Breakdown's face contorted into a grimace where relief mingled with anxiety and panic. At least the Autobots were busy, right? Maybe he could just walk...

Being in thoughts, a little out of it, he hardly noticed the arriving shuttle hovering over the scene for a while, then transforming and approaching him.

Blast Off looked from Breakdown to the crater, and back again, before he spoke, voice filled with the usual disinterest. "You were alone, weren't you?"

Breakdown nodded and looked up. "Y... yeah? Why?"

The shuttle stood close enough that Breakdown could see the frown behind the parted visor. "Because you're staring there as though you're waiting for someone."

The answer was a shake of his head. He didn't wait for anyone.

"Fine," Blast Off said, and turned.

Breakdown inhaled air once more - the scent hadn't changed - and glanced at the Combaticon, who made himself ready to transform again.

At least now Breakdown knew why the shuttle hardly engaged in battle. At least not actively in alt mode. If Blast Off did, there wouldn't be much left of the battlefield, neither from the Autobots, nor the Decepticons.

But that made him wonder about something else.

"Uh, why... I mean why did you never attack the Ark?" It was a fair question, out of the blue, and Blast Off turned his head to him again.

The shuttle shrugged. "Megatron never ordered me to." Then he transformed. "Get in. I have orders to bring you back to base."

The large shuttle alt mode hovered above the ground, vents kicking up dust as the cargo hold door opened. It looked like a purple mouth that wanted to swallow him, and Breakdown had to force himself to activate his thrusters.

From now on, he'd never dare aggravate any of the Combaticons, even more than he usually wouldn't do.

Not because he was scared, Breakdown told himself, he just had respect.

When the burning landscape vanished as the door closed, he settled and slid down the cargo hold wall. He was still shaking, and he knew he was lying to himself.


End file.
